The Democratic Republic of Congo’s public prosecutor has called for the death penalty against former President Joseph Kabila, who is being tried in absentia on charges of treason, war crimes, and alleged support for the M23 rebel movement. Kabila, who ruled from 2001 to 2019 after the assassination of his father Laurent Kabila, is accused of backing the Rwanda linked M23 rebels, whose recent offensives have captured several major cities in eastern Congo. The former president briefly resurfaced from self imposed exile in April when he arrived in Goma then under rebel control fueling suspicions of his ties to the insurgency. His current whereabouts remain unknown.
In Friday’s hearing, lead prosecutor Gen. Lucien René Likulia not only sought the death penalty for treason but also asked for a 20 year sentence for allegedly condoning war crimes and a 15 year term for conspiracy. No detailed evidence was presented in court. Kabila lost his constitutional immunity in May when parliament revoked his lifetime status as senator. His supporters, however, denounce the proceedings as politically motivated. Ferdinand Kambere, a former minister under Kabila, dismissed the trial as “a disgrace for the Republic,” while independent analyst Henry Pacifique Mayala argued that the case appears more like “a settling of scores” than a genuine quest for justice. The court has not announced when a verdict will be delivered.
